Short-lived good news from the War on Sanity, Black Men, Common Sense, Sick People, Supply and Demand, etc.
By Thoreau
A federal pledge to not go after medical pot dispensaries following local law is, at best, only as meaningful as the local committment to protecting medical pot dispensaries. This push-back from a judge is welcome news, although the City Council and DA are committed to finding a way to continue their insane crusade.
I just have to repeat my assertion that the Drug Warriors are the most useless people on the face of the earth. Their entire endeavor is about (1) locking up harmless people and (2) driving up profit margins for dangerous people. I detest them more than I can begin to describe.
Comment by Walt —
October 20, 2009 @ 2:25 pm
What I find hard to understand is the psychology of Drug Warriors. Maybe 50 years ago you could believe that marijuana was a public menace. But today how could any public official give a shit?
Comment by joe from Lowell —
October 20, 2009 @ 3:11 pm
It seems to me that the real action, in terms of electoral politics, for this issue is in the District Attorney race. Those are usually low-turnout races that nobody except the candidates’ families and political cronies care about, so maybe the people behind the original medical pot initiative can scare up a plausible candidate.
Walt,
Baby boomers have demonstrated a remarkable ability to hold a grudge over the disputes from their college days.
Comment by Walt —
October 20, 2009 @ 3:28 pm
That’s disturbing, and yet totally plausible.
Comment by Sasha —
October 20, 2009 @ 3:53 pm
Plus, and I say this as the wife of a retired Coast Guardsman, you have no idea how much fuel and time is wasted by the Coast Guard on drug interdiction. In the entire time my husband was on a ship (3 years) they spent about 2/3 of that time cruising on drug/migrant interdiction patrols. These patrols involve multiple vessels and helicopters, hundreds of personnel and thousands and thousands of gallons of fuel. During his time on the ship, they did not do even one fishery patrol.
It’s just tragic; such a waste!
Comment by All Your Summer Songs —
October 20, 2009 @ 6:19 pm
But if drugs are decriminalized/legalized, then all the cachet of such drivel as Stereolab’s Takings drugs to make music to take drugs to is lost, & the effort becomes a waste.
Think of the “suburban” youths with all too normative lives trying to making a living playing rock n’ roll, & more recently, rave, music. Without (illegal) drugs to consume in order to be “outre”, they all become Earth Crisis & Moby — & we cannot have that.
Keep drugs illegal to keep rock n’ roll alive.
Comment by dhex —
October 20, 2009 @ 6:39 pm
stereolab is connected with many things, but drivel is not one of them.
Comment by slothrop —
October 20, 2009 @ 7:06 pm
That’s Spaceman 3, not Stereolab.
Comment by Gary Farber —
October 20, 2009 @ 8:35 pm
“I just have to repeat my assertion that the Drug Warriors are the most useless people on the face of the earth.”
More useless than the people of the TSA asking you to take off your shoes?
Comment by Mithras —
October 20, 2009 @ 11:15 pm
Come on: The drug war provides a good source of funding to police departments and departments of correction all over the country. It’s also a great way to drive up arrest and conviction rates, which is important in elections. It also dovetails nicely with the concerns of people who are religiously conservative. For bureaucratic, budgetary and political reasons, the drug war is essential. The bribes ain’t bad, either.
Comment by Stephanie —
October 21, 2009 @ 10:49 am
Why, this is the very essence of our work here in Illinois. I love that you’ve referred to the war on drugs as a war on sanity, black men, etc. Because truly it is just that.
Comment by Jennifer —
October 21, 2009 @ 12:48 pm
Remember: drugs destroy lives, which is why the government puts drug users in prison and sticks them with a felony record that makes it impossible for them to ever get a good job. The drug warriors’ motto? “Let us destroy your life so the drugs don’t have to.”
Comment by Barry —
October 21, 2009 @ 1:09 pm
Comment by Walt —
“What I find hard to understand is the psychology of Drug Warriors. Maybe 50 years ago you could believe that marijuana was a public menace. But today how could any public official give a shit?”
As Thoreau pointed out, ‘War on Black Men…’; as Mithras pointed out, the religious right eats this stuff right up – not just the war aspect, but also the authoritarianism.
And that’s *before* one gets into the ‘making a living at it’ aspect, which allows people to believe just about anything that gets them through the day.
Comment by Walt —
October 22, 2009 @ 3:44 pm
Jennifer, that’s very funny.